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Blackberry (BB) at CES 2024: A Look at Main Announcements

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At CES 2024, held in Las Vegas, Blackberry (BB - Free Report) made a series of announcements, including the launch of QNX Sound.

The QNX Sound is an innovative development platform that separates audio and acoustics software from vehicle hardware, using pre-integrated technologies for various purposes like telephony, safety alerts, noise reduction, and media playback. This innovation grants audio designers and engineers the freedom to craft fresh in-vehicle sound experiences.

The platform also includes advanced tuning tools with a user-friendly interface that fosters limitless signal processing creativity. This software-driven approach invites automakers to explore new audio-based services and partnerships that create additional revenue streams through optional features or premium audio upgrades via on-demand or subscription services.

QNX Sound is the only software-defined audio and acoustics solution for the automotive sector that has been pre-integrated into the next-generation system on chips and thoroughly proven in production, added the company. It integrates with BlackBerry QNX Real Time Operating System and QNX Hypervisor, as well as supports third-party signal processing suppliers and complies with industry standards for sound design, tuning, and signal flow capabilities.

Apart from this, the company also introduced the QNX Software Development Platform (SDP) 8.0, along with the latest QNX OS 8.0. This is the fifth-generation platform that ensures a secure and reliable system while accommodating both QNX and Linux developers through its POSIX API.

QNX SDP 8.0 supports ARM v9 and GCC 12, which will enhance performance scalability with CPU core counts and enable developers to leverage advanced processors effectively. The update extends the QNX Tool Suite by adding Microsoft Visual Studio Code support alongside the existing Eclipse-based Momentics Integrated Development Environment and new command line tools, expanding the utility with more than 200 Unix utilities.

The company further added that QNX SDP 8.0 forms the basis for the forthcoming line of BlackBerry QNX portfolio products, such as QNX OS for Safety, QNX Hypervisor, and QNX Hypervisor for Safety.

Overall, the developments and announcements made by BlackBerry at CES are likely to boost the top line and increase its footprint in areas like Cyber Security, IoT and automotive.

BlackBerry currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). The stock has lost 11.3% in the past year against the sub-industry’s growth of 52.8%.

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Stocks to Consider

Some better-ranked stocks worth considering in the broader technology space are Blackbaud (BLKB - Free Report) , NETGEAR (NTGR - Free Report) and Watts Water Technologies (WTS - Free Report) . NETGEAR sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), while Blackbaud and Watts Water Technologies carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Blackbaud’s 2023 earnings per share (EPS) has inched up 1.8% in the past 60 days to $3.86. BLKB’s long-term earnings growth rate is 23.4%.

Blackbaud’s earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the last four quarters, the average surprise being 10.6%. Shares of BLKB have gained 51% in the past year.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2023 is pegged at a loss of 9 cents per share for NETGEAR, which remained unchanged in the past 30 days.

NTGR’s earnings outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the last four quarters while missing once. The average surprise was 127.5%. Shares of NTGR have lost 15% in the past year.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Watts Water Technologies 2023 EPS has improved 3.9% in the past 60 days to $8.08.

WTS’ earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the last four quarters, the average surprise being 11.8%. Shares of WTS have soared 43% in the past year.

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